Sexual education shall emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is one hundred percent effective against unwanted pregnancy
sexually transmitted disease and the sexual transmission of a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome according to the Ohio Revised Code.
Ohio law also stipulates that the state Board of Education shall require course material and instruction in venereal disease education courses that include:
n Stress that students should abstain from sexual activity until after marriage.
n Teach the potential physical, psychological, emotional and social side effects of participating in sexual activity outside of marriage.
n Stress that sexually transmitted diseases are serious possible hazards of sexual activity.
The state board of education's only requirement for local schools in regards to health -not sexual -education is that they must have an established curriculum. It has not mandated any specific curriculum for Ohio schools and cannot do so unless directed by the General Assembly.
It's up to the local school district if they want to do an abstinence-only curriculum said Bob Bowers, Ohio's superintendent of schools.
Sexual education funding
In fiscal year 2005, Ohio family planning organizations received $6.46 million and Ohio abstinence education organization received $2.17 million from the federal and state governments, said Lee Yokum, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health.
But, abstinence programs are eligible for direct grants from the federal government -money the state has no control over -that can push their yearly income over $7 million, according to a report from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United State's Web site (http://www.siecus.org).
And those grants are where the $38 million increase in abstinence education funding in President Bush's proposed budget will go -not to payments controlled by states, according to the organization.
Federal regulations about abstinence only education
The Department of Health and Human Services is in charge of doling out federal money for abstinence education programs. This federal funding is distributed according to a law called Title V and two grants -the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance-Community Based Abstinence Education, and the Adolescent Family Life Act.
According to federal law, abstinence education:
n teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school-age children;
n teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and other associated health problems;
n teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
n teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.
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Chuck Bowen
State regulations about sexual education
